Converter-carrying transfer and positioning vehicle

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a track-engaging transfer and positioning vehicle for refining vessels enabling a simple transposition at rail crossings. The vehicle of invention comprises a carrying structure having a square ground plan, trucks rotatable in relation to said carrying structure and supporting extensible lifting means serving for lifting and lowering said carrying structure, as well as additional support means arranged centrally between two lifting means on the lower surface of the carrying structure and serving for supporting said carrying structure on the ground while the trucks are rotated through the angle of intersection of the tracks.

United States Patent [721 Inventors llfunagibsdpsirnlang {56] References Cited mzrg; Karl Morhart, Linz, both of, Austria UNITED STATES PATENTS [2]] Appl No. 796,656 3,3l2,544 4/1967 McCready et al. 105/177 X [22] Filed Feb. 5, 1969 3,396,674 8/1968 Shoichi Tani 105/177 X [45] Patented July 20,1971 3,434,606 3/1969 Shunzo Asamurammm. 105/177 X [73] Assignee Vereinigte Osterreichische Eisen-und 3,459,312 8/1969 Britcher et al. 105/238 X st ahlwerke Akuengeseuschafl Primary Examiner-Arthur L. La Point Lmli Ausma Assistant Examiner-Howard Beltran Pnomy 'i 1968 Attorney-Brumbaugh, Graves, Donohue and Raymond us is [31 A 6839/68 ABSTRACT: The invention relates to a track-engaging transfer andpositioning vehicle for refining vessels enabling a {54] CONVERTERCARRYING TRANSFER AND simple transposition at rail crossings. The vehicle of invention PO51? IONING Y F comprises a carrying structure having a square ground plan, 4 Chums 7 Drawmg trucks rotatable in relation to said carrying structure and sup- [52] US. Cl 214/1 D, porting extensible lifting means serving for lifting and lowering 105/157, 105/177, 105/238 Said carrying structure, as well as additional support means ar- [51] int. Cl B25j 5/02, ranged centrally between two lifting means on the lower sur- B6lf 5/00, B65 63/02 face of the car in structure and servin for su porting said 8 Y g g P [50] Field of Search 105/177, carrying structure on the ground while the trucks are rotated 238, l57,2l5;2l4 1 t rou t can eo mtersectlono t etrac s.

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m a j l 9 5 15 /0 j o o 5 a i i 7 l4 l l 7 PATENTED JUL 20 um SHEET 1 0F 4 INVENTURS RONALD SPANN LAN 0 KARL Moe/MR T 11 ORNEYS PATENTED JUL20 1971 SHEET 2 [1F 4 "ms/K A TYOENE y$ PATENTED JULZOISH 3,593 85 SHEET 3 [IF 4 INVENT0R5 N MD SP NNL NG' BY KARL MOKHART @0 4, Mg A W WEI/a A TToIZA/EYS PATENTEUJULZOISYI 3,593,859

SHEET '4 BF 4 INVENTORS KARL MORHART BY 120mm) SPA-NLA- W w, aw

77/313 4 TTOk/VEYS CONVERTER-CARRYING TRANSFER AND POSITIONING VEHICLE This invention relates to a converter-carrying transfer vehicle for mounting and dismounting a converter in a converter stand as well as for transporting a converter between two or more stands.

It has been proposed to build vessel-carrying transfer cars composed of a carrying cage or carrying frame adapted to be lifted and lowered by extensible lifting means as well as .of a traveling mechanism adapted to be rotated in respect of said carrying cage or frame. Such vehicles serve for the transportation of converters, requiring relining time and again, from the blowing stationto the lining stand. For the time of servicing another converter is brought to the blowing station so that steel-work operations are not unduly delayed.

Vessel-carrying transfer vehicles suitable for use in stee|- works must meet the following requirements: Their carrying capacity must be relatively high; they must be capable of carrying and transporting converters of a weight up to approximately 1000 tons or more. The lifting height of the vehicles must be relatively great, e.g. 4 feet or more. In the highest uplifted position the converter should be horizontally movable together with the vehicle. At traclrway intersections the vehicles should be capable of effecting a 90 change of direction without the aid of complicated shifting or rotatory devices, such as revolving platforms. The construction of the lifting means should be simple and there should be no danger of jamming or edging thereof during lifting. In addition it is necessary to keep the overall weight of the vehicle as low as possible.

Known converter-carrying transfer vehicles do not meet these requirements, at least not completely; frequently, their constructions are too heavy and complicated, so that their usability is limited. In one known construction, for instance, there is provided, in addition to the lifting car as such, a separate takeover car for transposition at intersections, the refining vessel being supplied from the lifting car to a supporting frame of the takeover car, said frame being open on one side.

Another rail-supported vehicle is known which is composed of an upper and a lower carriage; it has, however, been intended for the transportation of loads other than refining vessels. The upper carriage of said rail vehicle is liftable by lifting means and the entire traveling mechanism is arranged to be rotatable about a trunnion centrally disposed on the upper carriage. At intersections the vehicle may be transposed at any angle desired. However, this construction is unsuited for the transportation of refining vessels, which involves extremely heavy loads, since the connection between traveling mechanism and upper carriage is formed by a single, centrally arranged trunnion. A vehicle suited for the transportation of refining vessels must be so designed that the wheel pressure will not exceed the permissible maximum and that possible track unevenness is compensated.

Other known constructions, among them the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,544, incorporate a multiple structure, for instance of the type composed of a frame supportable on the ground by jack devices and lift and lowerable in the supported position, as well as of a chassis horizontally rotatable in the frame. Since the overall load is carried by the chassis, which is rotatable as a whole, such constructions must be very heavy. Upon lifting there is a tendency toward edging.

it is an object of the invention to avoid these difficulties and to provide a simple, not too heavy construction mectingthe above described requirements.

The converter-carrying transfer vehicle of the invention essentially composed of a carrying cage or carrying frame adapted 'to be lifted and lowered by extensible lifting means and of a traveling mechanism rotatable in respect of said carrying cage or carrying frame comprises the arrangement in each of the four comers of said carrying cage or frame, being square in its ground-plan, of a downwardly extensible lifting means, each of them being supported against a truck, the provision, centrally between two lifting means, of four additional means for support on the ground, extending downwardly from said carrying cage or carrying frame, as well as the adaptation of the trucks to be rotatable in the supported position.

Suitably the lifting means are designed to be composed of cylinders connected to the carrying cage or frame and of hydraulically operable pistons connected to the trucks, the trucks being adapted to be rotated together with the pistons by means of drive rings operatively connected to the trucks.

Each means for support on the ground may consist of a turretshaped projection extending from the lower surface of the carrying frame and of a pivotable block hinged thereto.

According to a specific embodiment of the invention an adjusting platform is provided on the carrying frame or cage enabling adjustment of the position of the vessel, said platform being-movable perpendicularly of the direction of motion of the vehicle and pivotable about a vertical central axis.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood an embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. I is a partly sectional side view of the converter-carrying transfer vehicle, the carrying frame being in the lowered position;

FIG. 2 is a ground view;

FIG. 3 is a side view, similar to that of FIG. 1, the carrying frame being in the lifted position, however;

FIG. 4 illustrates the carrying frame supported on the support blocks prior to rotation of the trucks;

FIG. 5 is a view of the vehicle shown in FIG. 4 after the trucks have been rotated FIG. 6 is a side view of an apparatus for adjusting the position of the converter platform on the carrying structure; and

FIG. 7 is a top view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawings, numeral] I denotes the carrying frame or carrying cage, which is not rotatable. It has a square ground plan, as shown in FIG. 2. In the corners of said frame or cage lifting means 2 are arranged, consisting of hydraulic cylinders 3 closed on top and of downwardly extensible pistons 4. Each piston 4 is supported against a truck 6 through a rocker 5. The trucks may be provided with two or more wheels in single or multiline arrangement. Said wheels run on rails 7. On the lower surface of the carrying structure I drive rings 8, each encircling a piston, are arranged, said drive rings engaging in corresponding openings 10 of the rocker 5 by means of pins 9. The drive rings 8 are rotatable by shifting means 11, which may be designed as hydraulic cylinders FIG. 2, whereby in manner to be described hereinafter each piston is moved together with its respective rocker and truck as a whole, when the transfer car is transposed. The carrying structure I carries the platform 13 supported on slide plates 12, on which platform the converter K is deposited.

On the underside of the carrying structure 1 four support means 14 are provided, each of them being arranged centrally between two lifting means 2. These support means 14 consist of stationary turretlike projections 15 arranged on the underside of the carrying structure I and of pivotable blocks 16 hinged thereto. Pivotal movement is accomplished by hydraulic adjusting means 17 hingedly connected to the blocks 16 on the one hand and to the underside of the carrying structure I on the other hand.

FIGS. 3 to 5 illustrate the functioning of the converter-carrying transfer vehicle according to the invention, in particular a 90 change of its traveling direction. According to FIG. 3 the converter-carrying transfer vehicle with the converter deposited thereon is brought into the middle of the intersection and, by pushing out the piston 4, the carrying structure 1 with the converter K is lifted so far as to enable pivoting of the blocks I6 underneath the turretlilte projections 15. Thereupen the pistons 4 together with the trucks 6 are retracted and the carrying structure I with the converter If is supported on foul points on the floor or on the tracks via the support means l and 16 (FIG. 4). As shown in the drawing, the height of the support means is greater than the overall height of the trucks, the rockers and the drive rings in retracted position of the pistons, wherefore in this position according to FIG. 4 the trucks are freely rotatable. FIG. 5 illustrates such a 90 turn. The wheels of the trucks are disposed above the rails 7" which intersect the rails 7. By pushing out the piston 4 the wheels of the trucks are engaged on the rails 7 by pushing out the piston still further the support means are relieved and subsequently pivoted upwardly.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the device for adjusting the converter. Said device consists of a platform 13, which has a H- shaped ground plan and is supported on slide plates 12. On the lower side of the device a vertical trunnion 17' is arranged centrally, i.e. in the middle of the crossbeam, which trunnion is received in a slide block 18. The slide block 18 runs in a channel-shaped groove 19 provided in the carrying structure 1 and extending perpendicularly of the crossbeam of the platform 13. The two ends of the slide block 18 are connected to hydraulic shifting means 21 and 22'by joints 20. The means 21 is connected to the carrying structure I by a joint 23 and the means 22 to a comer of the platform 13 through a joint 24. The shifting means 21 enables displacement of the platform i3 with the converter deposited thereon perpendicularly to the direction of motion of the vehicle. The shifting means 22 enables a pivot motion of the platform 13 about the trunnion 17'.

The converter-carrying transfer vehicle is particularly suited for mounting and dismounting converters in carrying rings open on one side, having a horseshoelike shape. Both in the lowered and the lifted positions transportation of the converter is possible. Lifting of the live load and lifting of the trucks for change of direction at intersections are effected by the same lifting means. Therefore, the construction of the invention is simpler, lighter and more economic than that of known vessel carrying transfer cars. Since the lifting pistons are not interconnected to form a cooperating unit, as it has frequently been proposed hitherto, the danger ofjamming or edging of the lifting means is reliably eliminated. Adjustability of the vessel in any direction is highly important for fast and smooth positioning thereof. The initially described requirements set for a vessel-carrying transfer vehicle in a modern steel making plant are fully and successfully met by the construction of the invention.

We claim:

1. A converter-carrying transfer vehicle for mounting and dismounting a converter in a converter stand as well as for transporting a converter between a number of converter stands comprising, a generally rectangular carrying structure adapted to carry said converter, extensible lifting means disposed in each corner of said carrying structure for lifting and lowering said structure, a truck rotatably coupled to each of said lifting means below said carrying structure, and additional support means extending downwardly from said carrying structure between each pair of said lifting means for engaging the supporting surface to relieve and permit rotation of said trucks.

2. The vehicle set forth in claim 1 wherein said liftingmeans are composed of cylinders connected to said carrying structure and of hydraulic pistons connected to said trucks, said trucks being adapted to be rotated together with said pistons by means of drive rings operatively connected to said trucks.

3. The vehicle set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said additional support means consists of a turretlike projection extending downwardly of the carrying structure and of a pivotable block hinged thereto.

4. The vehicle set forth in claim 1 wherein said carrying structure is provided with an adjusting platform for positioning said converter, said adjusting platform being movable perpendicularly of the direction of motion of said vehicle and rotatable about a vertical central axis. 

1. A converter-carrying transfer vehicle for mounting and dismounting a converter in a converter stand as well as for transporting a converter between a number of converter stands comprising, a generally rectangular carrying structure adapted to carry said converter, extensible lifting means disposed in each corner of said carrying structure for lifting and lowering said structure, a truck rotatably coupled to each of said lifting means below said carrying structure, and additional support means extending downwardly from said carrying structure between each pair of said lifting means for engaging the supporting surface to relieve and permit rotation of said trucks.
 2. The vehicle set forth in claim 1 wherein said lifting means are composed of cylinders connected to said carrying structure and of hydraulic pistons connected to said trucks, said trucks being adapted to be rotated together with said pistons by means of drive rings operatively connected to said trucks.
 3. The vehicle set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said additional support means consists of a turretlike projection extending downwardly of the carrying structure and of a pivotable block hinged thereto.
 4. The vehicle set forth in claim 1 wherein said carrying structure is provided with an adjusting platform for positioning said converter, said adjusting platform being movable perpendicularly of the direction of motion of said vehicle and rotatable about a vertical central axis. 